Slack FAQs

Slack Enterprise Connect & Collect

In what order will Slack files sync?

When a Slack sync starts files are collected in the following order:

1. Public channels

2. Private channels

3. Direct messages (DMs)

4. Group direct messages (MPIMs)

Are archived channels able to be synced in Onna?

Yes, archived Slack channels (private or public) that are still available via the API would sync unless the data has moved past the retention setting. However, deleted channels in Slack cannot be synced.

Are draft messages pulled into an Onna collection through Slack Enterprise?

No, Onna does not pull draft messages for Slack. Visit our Help Center for a complete list of content collected from Slack Enterprise.

Does Onna collect sub-threads when collecting Slack channels?

Yes, threaded messages are collected from Slack channels and direct messages.

Does Onna collect the user's IP address and the user agent from Slack Enterprise?

No, Onna does not collect the user's IP address or the user agent from Slack.

Can Onna collect Slack calls and Huddles?

For Slack calls & Huddles, we can collect the user who initiated the call, the timestamp when the call took place, and the URL of the call. Information such as the in-meeting chat & transcript of the call is not available. Please note that Slack does not support the ability to record or transcribe Slack calls/Huddles. Additional information can be found in Slack's help center.

Can Onna capture and replay Slack audio/video recordings?

Yes, Onna will capture & process the new Slack audio/video recording feature that can be sent within channels, DM's, and MPIM. Once the Slack conversations have successfully synced into Onna the recordings will be available to play & view within Onna.

Can Onna tell us who responded with an emoji reaction?

Yes, when viewing the resource in Onna you can hover over an emoji reaction to display who responded with the reaction. Additionally, when you export with the ’Message list' option in your metadata-export configuration, we will list which users sent which emoji reactions in your MessageList_List of messages field.

Are deleted or updated reactions to messages captured in Onna?

We will only retrieve reactions at the moment in time when the conversation is synced into Onna. If the message that contained the reactions is deleted, Onna will show the original message was deleted but the reactions will not be displayed.

How does Onna handle image deletions in Slack?

If a user posts a message that includes an image file but then deletes the image, Onna will show this as an 'Edit' to the message rather than a 'Deletion.' This result is because the image file was part of the message, so removing the file is an edit to the message. On the other hand, if the file were the whole message, it would be considered a deletion.

The distinction between direct and personal Slack messages

Understanding the distinction between direct and personal Slack messages is important when filtering Slack channels within Onna.

• Personal messages are messages between two people.

• Direct messages are messages between three or more people that do not take place in a channel.

Visit our Help Center to learn how to use filters to narrow your Slack data set in Onna.

How do I collect only direct messages (1-1 messages) for users?

During the Slack collection workflow, select ‘Direct messages' under the ‘Select content’ to ensure only direct message (1-1 messages) are collected.

Other options include ‘Group direct messages’ (MPIM), ‘Public channels’, and 'Private channels’.

What are “active” participants in a Slack conversation?

Active participation is either being a sender of a message (or reply), reacting to a message, or joining the channel on that day.

Does Onna collect edited and deleted messages across everything within Slack Enterprise?

Yes, if the account has "Store Everything" enabled across channels, private channels, and messages, Onna will collect edited and deleted messages. However, some accounts opt out of storing everything, which means that we cannot collect previously edited or deleted messages.

Once a collection has started, can I modify the details? For example, can I add another user or another channel?

No, once the collection is started in Onna, it cannot be modified. To collect additional users information or add another channel, another Slack collection with needed parameters will need to be created from the 'Add Source' process.

What do I do if I receive a “team_not_authorized” error when connecting Slack Enterprise?

If you are receiving this error, please check to see if you have the Discovery API enabled. If you continue to run into issues, please reach out to Slack to ensure the Discovery API is indeed enabled, and if it is not enabled, please have them enable it for the Slack environment.

Who is notified within Slack Enterprise when Onna is added as an application?

The Slack Owner account will be notified when the application has been added.

Why do I see different dates within the Slack conversation?

Slack conversations have a File creation date, a Last modified date and message dates which appear next to the messages. If the Slack conversation has edits or deletions that happened after the original conversation date, the different dates and times correspond with when the edit or deletion occurred.

• Creation date is the day the file was created.

• Last modified date refers to the day the file itself was last modified

• Message date is in the title and refers to the day the message was created. Ex. Channel #rss - 2023-04-25 (UTC)

Ex. Sally and Dave have a Slack conversation on Monday, April 27. Last modified and File creation date should be the same on the initial sync. On April 28, Sally edited the conversation. If the Slack connector is set to auto-sync, the Last modified date will get updated to the 28th, but the creation date will stay the same.

Will some conversations be listed in both my private and public channel sources? How concerned should we be about duplicating data?

Yes, if you have separate sources for private channels and public channels, you may have records that would be duplicated across both sources. The one source where the channel started would cut off at the point the conversation type changed. The "destination" source would then sync the full contents of the channel, treating it like a new channel.

My company has different retention policies for private and public channels. What will that mean for my data in Onna?

Your data in Onna will continue to mirror the Slack retention policies if you have that setting enabled.

What if I already had saved searches based on the source being private channels? Would my search results still be the same?

If you have saved searches targeting a particular private channel source, and the channel you are interested in is now public, the search will not update with new content, but the existing content will remain in the search.

We have a full sync and archive of our Slack data that is divided into different sources by channel type. Where will I look for the information?

The most up-to-date information will be in the source in Onna for the conversation type that the conversation currently is.

If I have a full archive of only public channels, will the newly converted channel pull all of its historical data into my archive or only data starting from the time it was converted?

The archive will pull all of the historical information from the channel per its Slack retention policy.

What if I had already exported some data for litigation and have been asked to expand my search, will the metadata show as different?

The channel name will show as it is at the time of collection, whether private or public, for archive sources. For a converted channel, the historical data synced in after the conversion will show with the converted name. For example, a private channel made public will sync without the "private" label when it pulls in the historical data for that channel.

If I have a targeted collection of just private channels, and one of those channels now becomes public, will that channel still sync?

That channel will no longer sync because it no longer meets the parameters of your collection.

How are changes to channel names handled in Onna when converting a channel?

Conversation IDs are a powerful tool used for searching within Onna and are particularly helpful when handling renamed Slack channels. If a user renames a Slack channel, the Conversation ID remains the same, giving you an easy way to identify the channel regardless of the name.

How are Slack Connect channels collected in Onna?

When connecting your Slack Enterprise account in Onna, you have the option of syncing Slack Connect channels. A full list of what is collected can be found in the Help Center.

Onna does not currently offer the ability to only collect Slack Connect channels, but if this is a need for your organization, please submit a product idea within the community.

Is there a way to search exclusively for Slack Connect channels?

Onna does not differentiate normal Slack channels from Slack Connect channels. We recommend that you search using basic keywords from the channel title or text, use the filters to key in on the channel title or use the syntax ‘intitle:keyword’ to search for the keyword in just the title.

Slack Enterprise Export

How can I access a complete list of Slack channel members?

You can export and review a complete list of Slack channel members by selecting "Related Users" in the export.

Can you export Slack files in PDF format?

Yes. Slack files are HTML natives, but they can be converted to PDF upon export from Onna.

How do Onna exports differ from Slack's standard exports?

Slack's standard exports are JSON files that require further processing before you can use them in a review platform. Each JSON object consists of one message and metadata for that message. Therefore, one has to parse the file and assign control numbers for each individual message on every channel and every direct message, then sort and view each message from each conversation individually.

Onna's exports are processed and ready to be loaded into a review platform. We divide messages by day so that the volume being reviewed is less, and it's easier to see the context around messages.

With Onna, you can filter down the amount of data being exported to a specific person or channel (private or public) you want to review, or you can conduct a standard export, which generally exports everything associated with a workspace.

Finally, Onna collects all attachments in their original format. In the JSON objects, attachments are stored as links which means they will not be part of the initial search parameters when going through review.

How can I identify the custodian to my files in my Slack Enterprise export?

For channel-based collections, the export CSV will have the users in the RelatedUsers_List of related users field. For custodian-based collections, the export CSV will populate custodian values into Origin_List of users collected for the field. Onna will store up to 10,000 users information per resource (conversation-day) in the related users field.

Non-enterprise Slack connector

What is the difference between Slack and Slack Enterprise connectors?

There are two main differences:

1. The standard connector cannot capture edits and deletes, while the enterprise connector can (assuming the retention policy is set to retain edits and deletes in Slack).

2. The standard connector requires the credentials for each user you want to collect data from to perform the collection. However, with the enterprise connector, you can collect data from all users across your organization.

3. The standard connector displays all channels when configuring the connector, not just the channels the custodian is a member of. The enterprise connector displays only the channels where the custodian is a member, which reduces collection volume.

For the non-enterprise Slack connector, does Onna sync deleted channels or archived channels?

The non-enterprise Slack connector does sync data from archived channels but does not sync data from deleted channels. Learn more about our non-enterprise Slack connector in the Help Center.

What steps do I need to take when I migrate from Slack to Slack Enterprise Grid to ensure I am able to connect to Onna?

After the Slack Enterprise Grid migration has occurred, you will need to perform the following steps:

1. After switching to Slack Enterprise Grid, confirm if Slack’s Discovery API is enabled for your organization. Occasionally we have seen the Discovery API being disabled after the migration. For an organization to be whitelisted for access to authorize the Onna Discovery app, an Org Owner needs to email [email protected] to say they’d like to “enable the Discovery APIs for Organization [XYZ]“. Slack will promptly enable the Org after verifying the email address matches an Org owner. If Slack fails to respond, users can use this URL to verify the status of the Discovery API.

2. Confirm if your team is utilizing multiple Slack workspaces or if there are any plans to create new workspaces. This step is required since the Support team will need to review the existing Slack Enterprise sources and rule out any overlap regarding the current sync filters for existing sources.

3. Create a new authorized connection in Onna since the previous entry became invalid once you migrated to Slack Enterprise Grid. This step will need to be performed after your team has verified that Slack’s Discovery API is enabled for your organization. You can find additional information on the steps to add a new authorized connection in the help center.

4. Share the new authorized connection with the original creator of the Slack sources and any users who plan on creating new Enterprise Slack sources in Onna.

5. Once the new authorized connection has been created, a ticket will need to be submitted to support switching the authorization for the existing Slack Enterprise sources. We will require access to your account via Onna’s API to complete the request.

You can submit a ticket ahead of the migration date to assist with the above change & answer any questions.